The 1000 Years

20 ¹I saw an angel coming down out of heaven. The angel had the key to the bottomless pit. The angel also held a large chain in his hand. ²The angel grabbed the giant snake (that old serpent). The giant snake is the devil (or Satan). The angel tied him [with the chain] for 1,000 years. ³The angel threw the snake into the bottomless pit and closed it. The angel locked it over the snake. The angel did this so that the snake could not trick the people of the earth until the 1,000 years were ended. After 1,000 years the snake must be made free for a short time. ⁴Then I saw some thrones and people sitting on them. These were the people who had been given the power to judge. And I saw the souls of those people who had been killed because [they were faithful to] the truth of Jesus and the message* from God. Those people did not worship the animal or his idol.* They did not receive the mark of the animal on their foreheads or on their hands. Those people became alive again and ruled with Christ for 1,000 years. ⁵(The other dead people did not live again until the 1,000 years were ended.) This is the first raising of the dead. ⁶Blessed (happy) and holy* are those people who share in this first raising of the dead. The second death has no power over those people. Those people will be priests for God and for Christ. They will rule with him for 1,000 years.

The Defeat of Satan

⁷When the 1,000 years are ended, Satan (the devil) will be made free from his prison [in the bottomless pit]. ⁸Satan will go out to trick the nations in all the earth--Gog and Magog. Satan will gather the people for battle. There will be so many people that they will be like sand on the seashore. ⁹Satan's army marched across the earth and gathered around the camp of God's people and the city that God loves. But fire came down from heaven and destroyed Satan's army. ¹⁰And Satan (the one who tricked those people) was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur with the animal and the false prophet.* There they will be tortured (punished) day and night forever and ever.

People of the World Are Judged

¹¹Then I saw a large white throne. I saw the One who was sitting on the throne. Earth and sky ran away from him and disappeared. ¹²And I saw the people that had died, great and small, standing before the throne. And the book of life was opened. There were also other books opened. These dead people were judged by the things they had done. These things are written in the books. ¹³The sea gave up the dead people that were in it. Death and Hades* gave up the dead people that were in them. Each person was judged by the things he had done. ¹⁴And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵And if a person's name was not found written in the book of life, then that person was thrown into the lake of fire.

message The news that God has made a way for people to have their sins forgiven and live with him forever. idol(s) Idols are statues or other objects that people worshiped as gods. holy God's people are called holy because they are made pure through Christ, and they belong only to God. false prophet A person that says he speaks for God but does not really speak God's truth. Hades Place where people go after they die.